Elfgren, Erik

Abstract [en]

This Licentiate thesis treats the impact of early dust on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). The dust that is studied comes from the first generation of stars, which were hot and short-lived, ending their lives as giant supernovæ. In the supernova explosions, heavy elements, produced through the fusion in the stars, were ejected into the interstellar medium. These heavy elements condensed to form dust, which can absorb and thus perturb the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. The dust contribution to this radiation is calculated and found negligible. However, as the dust will be produced within structures (like galaxy clusters), it will have a spatial correlation that could be used to detect it. This correlation is calculated using relevant assumptions. The planned Planck satellite is likely to be able to measure and thus confirm this correlation.